UNIQUE DOCUMENTARY about COVID-19 in GUATEMALA
In the context of COVID-19, various social, economic, and political situations have developed, with different scenarios, most accompanied by uncertainty, fear, restrictions, and in the worst cases, profound grief at the loss of a loved one.
In this environment, last year I documented one of the scenarios generated by the curfew in our country, which led me to visit the departmental capitals of Guatemala and other tourist destinations. I encountered the beauty of our roads, streets, parks, centers, and spaces where groups of people gather to carry out their daily activities. All the places I visited were imbued with solitude, a circumstance that generates a diversity of feelings, depending on each person's perspective and within the context of the pandemic.
I also had the opportunity to do some brief documentation on the intervention of the Red Cross, the exhausting work of paramedics and personnel responsible for transporting COVID patients to different health centers, and their challenges and hardships.
As part of my constant curiosity and desire to explore new experiences and different realities with my camera, I had long harbored the wish to visit a hospital, to document the COVID environment, the human effort of the medical staff to heal and save lives, and, on the other hand, the administrative and support staff sustaining the medical work.
Knowing how difficult it is to gain access to these health centers and the risk it represents for any visitor, I kept postponing the possibility, without losing my interest and eagerness to do so.
Recently, I had to experience it from the outside. A beloved uncle, who lives in Quetzaltenango, contracted COVID, and his pre-existing health condition was very delicate, leading us to believe his situation was very serious.
Thank God, and although it seems incredible, my uncle was discharged from the hospital a few days ago, recovered from COVID, although his medical condition remains delicate due to the pre-existing illnesses he had before contracting the virus.
During the process, I was attentive to their condition, inquiring and asking questions. I was an external observer of a reality that is distressing, painful, and frightening.
This circumstance allowed me to approach authorities at the COVID hospital in Quetzaltenango and obtain their permission to document, in some way, the COVID environment at that healthcare center.
I am aware that the sensitivity of the subject matter may affect many people who have experienced painful situations caused by the pandemic, which leads me to reflect on my role as a photographer and the responsibility of my objectivity when carrying out this photographic documentation.
Considering the objective of this documentation, I hope it will be useful in prompting reflection and offer something constructive regarding care, prevention, and consideration in the face of the effects this pandemic is having, and to recognize that the efforts of medical and institutional personnel have a human and material cost that should not be ignored.
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